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No, it was better this way. Mackenzie didn’t want me in her life to raise the baby with her, and that was fine because I didn’t have what it took to raise a baby. I didn’t have what it took to be anything other than a businessman. I wasn’t the type they put in the movies, who was a great family mananda great businessman. It was one or the other, and I’d chosen the latter.
“This is fine,” I said when I walked into my home. “This is fine. You’re going to be just fine.”
“Who are you talking to?” Scott asked, coming out of my kitchen and scaring the living shit out of me.
“Jesus,” I said, my heart leaping into my throat. “Sneak up on me, why don’t you?”
“Sorry,” Scott said and chuckled. “Jumpy, huh?”
“What are you doing here?”
Scott shrugged. “It’s my day off and I got sick of my apartment. It gets lonely sometimes, you know?”
“Something smells good."
“I brought pizza,” Scott said. “It’s still hot—you’re home earlier than I thought you’d be. There’s beer, too, because what’s pizza without beer?”
“You’re a fucking saint."
Scott laughed. “I just brought junk food but I’ll take it.”
I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a slice of pizza. I took a bite and chewed while I cracked open the beer. When I swallowed down my food, I chased it with at least half the bottle of beer before I came up for air.
When I looked over my shoulder, Scott was watching me.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.
“No.”
Scott nodded. “Football’s on.”
We took the pizza and beer to the living room and sat down, watching the screen. I threw myself into the game. I’d never been so invested in football before.
“Mackenzie’s pregnant,” I said in one of the ad breaks.
Scott looked at me. “When did she tell you?”
“Today,” I said. I frowned. “Why don’t you look shocked?”
Scott shrugged.
“Did you know?”
“Yeah…"
My jaw dropped, and I stared at my brother.
“You didn’t think it was a good idea to tell me?” I asked when he didn’t say anything, just sipped more of his beer and looked at the television that ran some kind of toothpaste ad.
“It wasn’t my secret to tell,” Scott said. “I overheard her talking to her friend at the hospital cafeteria.”
I was suddenly angry. “Are you fucking kidding me? They’re talking about it out loud in public and you can’t just give me a heads-up that shit hit the fan?”
“Hey, man, I—”
“Was that what it was all about when you told me that I should go for her the other day? Or was that before you knew?”
“No, I knew,” Scott said.
